Haj pilgrims gets easy, cheap calls

JAKARTA (JP): If you miss home, call. It's easy and cheap.

That's the message from PT Indosat, the government-owned international telephone company, to the nearly 160,000 Indonesians who will begin leaving for the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia next week.

Indosat is introducing an "Indonesia Direct" service through which Indonesian pilgrims can dial 1-800-62 from any phone in Saudi Arabia, including pay phones, and hook up with Indosat operators.

The system is strictly for collect calls, meaning that the receiver in Indonesia will be billed for the call, and the rate is 40 percent cheaper than that charged if a call is placed through the Saudi phone network, said Venny Zano, Indosat's public relations manager.

Indonesia is only one of three countries that have established such cooperation with Saudi Arabia. To Indonesia, Saudi Arabia is the 26th country that is linked through "Indonesia Direct" service. (01)